Treesearch

Laurel wilt disease (LWD), caused by the fungus Raffaelea lauricola and transmitted by Xyleborus glabratus (Redbay Ambrosia Beetle [RAB]), has killed millions of Persea borbonia (Redbay) trees throughout the southeastern Coastal Plain. Laurel wilt also has been detected in Sassafras albidum (Sassafras) in widely dispersed locations across the southeastern US. We established long-term laurel wilt disease-progression plots in Redbayand Sassafras stands in southeastern Georgia and monitored them through 4 years to document mortality rates and investigate long-term...

The East Bay Regional Park District maintains the largest urban park system in the United States, comprising over 45 000 ha, and more than 1900 km of trails, with extensive forests bordering residential areas. Sudden oak death (SOD), caused by the introduced oomycete Phytophthora ramorum, was first detected in a district park in 2001. Both increased fire risk and structural failure of large trees located near sites with heavy public usage are concerns for managers. Management requires reliable data about the location and severity of the disease. To produce disease incidence and risk maps,...

From 2000 through 2012, we collected annual observations on disease symptoms and stand conditions in 128 coast live oak plots in forests affected by sudden oak death (SOD), caused by the introduced pathogen Phytophthora ramorum. Elevated rainfall in one or both of the previous wet seasons was associated with pulses of new infections. However, persistent differences in infection rates between nearby locations and among plots within locations show that tree and site specific factors influence disease risk on the local scale. Because California bay is the primary source of P. ramorum spores...

In response to the wave of sudden oak death (SOD), caused by Phytophthora ramorum, sweeping the redwood forest ecosystems of California's North Coast, the role of foresters and other ecosystem managers is being tested. On Bear Flat Tree Farm, near Healdsburg, California, Forest, Soil & Water, Inc. (FSW) has conducted a multi-year, multi-treatment approach to take advantage of SOD. Because the seral stage of tanoak is a component of hardwood dominance intermediary between brush and conifers, FSW has used the oncoming wave of SOD to accelerate the ecosystem towards redwood (Sequoia sempervire...

The unmitigated risk potential of the introduction of exotic insects and pathogens to Hawai'i was evaluated for its impact on native plants, specifically Acacia koa, Cibotium spp., Dicranopteris linearis, Diospyros sandwicensis, Dodonaea viscosa, Erythrina sandwicensis, Leptecophylla tameiameiae, Metrosideros polymorpha, Myoporum sandwicense, Pandanus tectorius, Scaevola spp., Sophora chrysophylla, and Vaccinium spp. Assessments were made by estimating the likelihood and consequences of introduction of representative insects and pathogens of concern. Likely pathways of introduction were...

The hemlock woolly adelgid is a serious pest of Eastern and Carolina hemlock in the eastern United States. Successfully managing the hemlock resource in the region depends on careful monitoring of the spread of this invasive pest and the targeted application of management options such as biological control, chemical, or silvicultural treatments. To inform these management activities and test the applicability of a landscape-scale remote sensing effort to monitor hemlock condition, hyperspectral collections, and concurrent ground-truthing in 2001 and 2012 of hemlock condition were compared...

Decreasing trends in acidic deposition levels over the past several decades have led to partial chemical recovery of surface waters. However, depletion of soil Ca from acidic deposition has slowed surface water recovery and led to the impairment of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Nevertheless, documentation of acidic deposition effects on soils has been limited, and little is known regarding soil responses to ongoing acidic deposition decreases. In this study, resampling of soils in eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. was done at 27 sites exposed to reductions in wet SO42−...

Numerous ordinances and laws recognize the value of oak trees and woodlands, and dictate serious and expensive consequences for removing or harming them. Unfortunately, the methods used to calculate these values are equally numerous and often inconsistent. More important, these ordinances typically lack economic incentives to avoid impacts to oak woodland values because they fail to clearly identify the economic consequences of oak woodland loss; specifically: non-use values (recreation, aesthetics, and so forth), use values (increased real estate value, Council of Tree and Landscape...

The California Oak Woodlands Conservation Act (AB 242 2001) established requirements for the preservation and protection of oak woodlands and trees, and allocated funding managed by the Wildlife Conservation Board. In order to qualify to use these funds, counties and cities need to adopt an oak conservation management plan. Between 2008 and 2011, a team of concerned arborists, biologists, county foresters, planners, and other stakeholders wrestled with questions such as how to define an oak woodland in southern California, how much oak woodlands are worth, and examined the costs associated...

East Side Potter Valley (ESPV) Road is a heavily used rural collector road running north/south through the unincorporated area of Mendocino County known as Potter Valley. The roadway is significantly deteriorated and in need of repair and upgrade. The Mendocino County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) road project encompasses approximately 6.4 km of roadway that will be rehabilitated, straightened, and widened to bring the road section up to federal highway safety standards. An estimated 144 utility poles and miles of ditches will require relocation to accommodate the widening. New pole...